Written Answers

Monday 13 November 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the production and consumption of organic foods have greater environmental benefits than production and consumption of non-organic foods.

Ross Finnie: Organic production methods can deliver environmental benefits through reductions in the use of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides. There are no environmental benefits from consumption of organic foods: on the contrary, as with non-organic foods, there could be environmental disbenefits where these are imported.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the one Endodontic Specialist in Scotland is sufficient to meet the recommendations of the Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland .

Susan Deacon: Endodontics is the specialty of treatment of root canals. The majority of root canal treatment work is undertaken by primary care dentists, both in the community and in general dental practice, with over 140,000 such treatments undertaken annually in Scotland. Also, as those patients requiring specialist endodontic care are normally referred to a Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, Endodontic Specialists are not the sole supplier of this type of treatment.

  The Scottish Executive is reviewing the role of all dental specialties and their contribution to future dental services in Scotland.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether more funding will be allocated to dental hospitals to meet the increasing need for sedation services.

Susan Deacon: Additional resources have been allocated to both dental schools for 2000-01 to develop consultant-led sedation services primarily for the education and training of undergraduates and postgraduates.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who will represent Scotland at the next meeting of the European Community Fisheries Council.

Rhona Brankin: I will attend the next meeting of the Fisheries Council, which will take place on 17 November in Brussels.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a Scottish Professions Allied to Medicines Educational Council would be the best option to ensure that the specialist and post-registration needs of all such professions are met.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive’s consultation paper Supporting Learning for the Professions Allied to Medicine invited responses by 29 September 2000. The responses to the consultation are currently under consideration.

Higher Education

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote and assist Scottish e-university facilities, in particular what financial assistance will be available for this purpose and to whom; who will be able to access any such financial assistance, and what criteria will be used to allocate any such financial assistance.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The funding bodies for UK Higher Education, including the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC), are currently consulting on a model for an e-university. This might operate across and beyond the UK. The SHEFC will consider next steps, including any funding implications, after this consultation closes in late November 2000.

Justice

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review what information should be made publicly available by the Procurator Fiscal’s office regarding any decision it has taken.

Colin Boyd QC: The nature and type of information which can be made available to victims regarding Crown decision-making is being reviewed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service as part of the planning process for the Victim and Witness Assistance Service. There are no plans to review the policy for making information publicly available regarding any individual decision.

Learning Disabilities

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with regard to recommendation 17 of the Learning Disability Services Review.

Malcolm Chisholm: Consultation on how to implement the review has recently finished. We are currently analysing the responses. Once completed, action on recommendation 17 will follow.

Learning Disabilities

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on recommendation 8 of the Learning Disability Services Review.

Malcolm Chisholm: Consultation on how to implement the review has recently finished. We are currently analysing the results. Meanwhile we have had preliminary discussions with the Scottish Accessible Information Forum, and hope to build on these in the future.

Learning Disabilities

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date tenders will be invited for establishing a Scottish centre for learning disabilities.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in establishing a Scottish centre for learning disabilities.

Malcolm Chisholm: An invitation to apply for a grant to set up and run the Scottish Centre for Learning Disability was published in The Scotsman on Tuesday 17 October, and in other newspapers during that week. Applications for grant must be submitted to the Scottish Executive by 4 December.

Learning Disabilities

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the amount will be of the "change fund" recommended in the Learning Disability Services Review.

Malcolm Chisholm: The outcome of the spending review, announced in September, stated that £36 million over three years will be made available to assist local authorities to provide services for people with learning disabilities. We hope to make a further announcement soon on the direction of the fund.

Learning Disabilities

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have applied for funding from the "change fund" for learning disability services.

Malcolm Chisholm: Local authorities have not been asked to apply for funding from the Learning Disability Services Change Fund. Discussions about use of the money available will take place over the next months.

NHS Staff

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address any problems in the recruitment and retention of physiotherapists.

Susan Deacon: The overall recruitment and retention of Professions Allied to Medicine (PAMs), which include physiotherapists remains healthy although there are some recognised difficulties; in particular, geographical areas and with some specialist posts.

  The employment of physiotherapists is a matter for NHS Trusts.

Social Justice

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its Social Justice Annual Report.

Jackie Baillie: The Social Justice Annual Report 2000 has been published today. Copies of the full report and the accompanying technical volume are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre and on the Scottish Executive website (www.scotland.gov.uk).

Youth Hostels

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding any impact which the levying of VAT on youth hostel charges has on tourism in Scotland.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide range of issues.